MBALE .
Shock has gripped Mbale High School in Mbale City after a violent dispute between rival student groups ended the life of one student.
The incident, which occurred late Monday at the Amber Store in Industrial City Division, left Shafik Wasike dead.
According to eyewitnesses, a fight between the students’ rival factions escalated into a physical confrontation before it spiralled out of control at about 5 pm, resulting in Wasike’s tragic death .
Wasike, 19, who was pronounced dead at Mbale Regional Referral hospital, where he was rushed by three colleagues, was reportedly stabbed by the assailants using a screwdriver. The assailants fled the scene immediately after the attack.
Police and school authorities have launched investigations into the attack that has sent shockwaves through the Bugisu sub-region, raising concerns about student safety and the need for measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Elgon Police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, blamed the student gangs for the murder and said suspects are going to be arrested nded.
“The deceased was with his friends in their home when they were attacked from behind by another gang of students, who were a mixture of different schools. Preliminary information indicates he was stabbed to death with a screwdriver,” Mr Taitika said.
This publication established that among the student gang groups operating in Mbale City include street hunters, city takers, street kings, virgin hunters, 72 evils, black market, B13 and city manjje.
The gangs’ names are displayed in classroom and toilet walls in different schools across the Bugisu region.
The schools in Mbale city include Nkoma SS, Mbale High school, University link, Bugisu High school, Mbale Progressive SS, St. Mary’s College, Mbale compressive SS, Mbale Secondary School, among others.
Wasike’s murder
is linked to rising rivalry among students from various schools in Mbale City.
One of the students at Mbale High School said he was with the deceased in the evening hours when he left them at school to go and pick up his bag from a girl who had gone with it to Amber Stores, located about a half kilometre away from Mbale High School.
“We were six in a group. At around 5 pm, the two of us left for home, but he and others continued to Amber Stores to pick up the bag.
Unfortunately, at around 6 pm, I received information that he had been killed at the Amber Store,” the student said.
Wasike’s mother, Ms Kasifa Namuwenge, said she got to know about her son‘s death at around 6 pm.
“I found he had passed on when I arrived,” Ms Namuwnge said as she demanded for thorough investigation into her son’s murder.
The Deputy Headmaster in charge of Academics at Mbale High School, Mr Fred Wamusi, said the school has not yet established the circumstances under which the learner was stabbed.
“We are yet to know who was exactly behind but we are hearing that the boy was attacked by a gang. We will look for security cameras that may be available to retrieve the footage and establish the truth,” Mr Wamusi said.
Wasike’s death adds to growing concerns about the surge in student-related crime and gang violence in the eastern Uganda city.
The schools are now under increased pressure to address the escalating insecurity among students.
In Mbale city, all big government schools are located in one area, including Mbale High School, Mbale SS, and Nkoma SS and on several occasions, students in different gangs attack each other.
The situation sours especially during evening hours when students are returning home or during periods when the schools chase learners for school fees.